Even the best golfers can sustain injury playing the game they love. Some injuries can be prevented, but many just happen after many years on the course causing a lot of stress to the body.
Here is a list of the 5 most common injuries caused by the game of golf:
- Back Pain. Those suffering back pain due to playing hours and hours of a sport are considerably higher among golfers. Golfers spend many hours on the links and with that swing the club many times. This repetitive motion and twisting can greatly affect the back. But on the green, many hours are also spent putting. That bent-over motion is also dangerous overtime and cause back pain. Back pain can heal many times with rest, but increases with play. Give yourself and your back a rest should you start to feel back pain while playing golf.
- Rotator Cuff Injuries. The various phases of a golf swing can greatly damage a rotator cuff over time. Too much force and bad form are the biggest culprits resulting in tears of the rotator cuff. Play over time can cause bursitis and tendinitis of the shoulder due to the repetitive motion of a swing.
- Golfer's Elbow. Just like "tennis elbow," injury to the tendons overused in a golf swing is pretty common. The risk of getting this kind of tendinitis increases with age anyway. Those who play many rounds of golf a week are at even greater risk of injury.
- Wrist pain. The high speed at tee off, can put your wrists at risk for injury when playing lots of golf, the most common again being tendinitis. Pain and numbness at the top of the wrist are typical with golfers. Hands and fingers are also impacted much the same as the wrist when teeing off or driving the golf ball. Rest and conditioning exercises can help some of this, but you may need to see the hand surgeon if it persists or gets worse.
- Hip injuries. The hip joint is pretty movable and golf doesn't usually add anymore pain than simply having a worn out one. The twisting is why you feel it more while playing golf. Warming up before play may help some. But, if you have a bad hip to start out with, you will only feel it more while on the course.
We love golf and we're not recommending you stop playing because of pain or injury. But, there is help and hope for relief. If you are indentifying with any of these most common golf injuries, call Ortho El Paso at 915-249-4000 and we'll consult you on a plan for pain relief.
